Entry No. 54 — the Chicago file — filed under: arcade-play
The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club
Royal Palms is a 20,000-square-foot indoor shuffleboard club built like a kitschy tropical cruise ship, with multiple regulation-length courts you rent by the hour. The decor leans gleefully absurd, including a wall of mounted singing Billy Bass fish and flamingo flourishes throughout. Tropical cocktails, rotating food trucks, and a seasonal rooftop Lido Deck round out the resort-gone-sideways atmosphere.
The story
The whole enterprise stems from a 2011 road trip co-founders Ashley Albert and Jonathan Schnapp took to the historic Mirror Lake Shuffleboard Club in St. Petersburg, Florida. Smitten with the century-old pastime, they decided to rescue shuffleboard from retirement communities, testing the concept in Brooklyn before bringing this 20,000-square-foot Bucktown outpost to Milwaukee Avenue in 2018. They took a cavernous industrial space and transformed it into a white-and-teal Florida cabana fantasy.
You didn't hear it from us, but the venue's single weirdest detail isn't on the courts—it's in the stairwell leading up to the seasonal rooftop Lido Deck. Mounted along the wall is a choir of 75 Big Mouth Billy Bass singing fish. Far from standard battery-operated impulse buys, the fish were custom-wired with specialized hardware and software so the mechanical largemouths can sing synchronized, multi-part harmonies to Talking Heads' 'Once in a Lifetime' and the Bee Gees' 'Stayin' Alive'.
Underneath the Florida kitsch lies genuine reverence for the game. Staff insist on proper terminology: you push yellow and black discs called 'biscuits' across the court using long cue sticks called 'tangs.' Paired with an actual food truck parked inside the building and frozen tropical cocktails served at the bar, the space operates like a mid-century Gulf Coast resort that somehow landed right on the Blue Line.
What it's like
Head straight to the front desk when you arrive to put your name down for a court—walk-ins are $50 an hour, and you'll be handed a buzzer to track your wait. Use the downtime to grab a frozen drink at the bar or order a bite from the food truck parked directly inside the main hall. Once your buzzer goes off, a court host will walk your group over, hand off your tangs, and give you a five-minute lesson on scoring and court etiquette. If the weather permits, take a trip up the stairs past the singing fish choir to check out the seasonal rooftop Lido Deck.
The move: Reserve a court for an hour, order frozen tropical drinks, and trash-talk your way through a best-of-three shuffleboard match under the gaze of the singing fish.
- 📍 Bucktown
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Big night
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1750 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60647
Hours: Added 2026-06-23 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Dorian's Through the Record Shop — Trade the bright, breezy tropical cruise hall for a dim speakeasy tucked behind a working vinyl record shop just down the street.
- Sideshow Gallery — Swap retro Florida cabana aesthetics for taxidermy, occult oddities, and dark art down Western Avenue.
- Logan Arcade — Keep your hands-on game night going by swapping shuffleboard tangs for restored pinball tables and vintage arcade cabinets.
- Shit Fountain — Take a short stroll south into the neighborhood to pay your respects to a literal bronze coil of dog excrement on a stone pedestal.
Good to know
How do walk-in courts work and how much do they cost?
Walk-in courts are $50 per hour per court on a first-come, first-served basis. You sign up at the front desk, receive a buzzer, and can hang out at the bar or food truck until a court opens up.
Do I need to know how to play shuffleboard before coming?
No experience needed. Every court rental includes a brief hands-on tutorial from a court host who will teach you the official rules, scoring, and proper technique for handling the tangs and biscuits.
Is there food available inside?
Yes. Royal Palms features a rotating local food truck parked directly inside the floor space, alongside full-service bars serving tropical cocktails, frozen drinks, and beer.
What is the deal with the wall of singing fish?
The stairwell to the rooftop deck houses an installation of 75 Big Mouth Billy Bass fish that were custom-engineered with proprietary software to sing popular songs like Talking Heads and the Bee Gees in synchronized harmony.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · blockclubchicago.org · theinfatuation.com · Yelp
last checked: 2026-06-23